Self widening subgrade planers and testers



Dec. 27, 1960 G. R. GRAVES SELF WIDENING SUBGRADE PLANERS AND TESTERSFiled Jan. 8, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 QINVENTOR ww um v NM mm mm N 5w QNMQ wage/v E! 6K0 vss ATTORNEYS Dec. 27, 1960 G. R. GRAVES SELF WIDENINGSUBGRADE PLANERS AND TESTERS Filed Jan. 8, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR Dec. 27, 1960 G. R. GRAVES SELF WIDENING SUBGRADE PLANERS ANDTESTERS Filed Jan. 8, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 ms T, 1 V4 y 6 E M D, w 6

2,965,987 Patented Dec. 27, 1960 ice SELF WIDENING SUBGRADE PLANERS ANDTESTERS Gordon R. Graves, Warren, Ohio, assignor to The Heltzel SteelForm and Iron Co., Warren, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Jan. 8,1957, Ser. No. 633,042

4 Claims. (Cl. 37-408) The present inventionrrelates to self wideningsubgrade planers and testers and has for an object to provide a devicewhich may be used with road forms set at varying widths to strike oif asubgrade and to test a previously stricken subgrade to determine whetherfurther planing is required in order to meet specifications.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of thecharacter described which is rugged in construction and which is selfsupporting while self widening.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a deviceof the character described in which a minimum of frictional resistanceis employed to permit the widening or lengthening of the two beammembers carrying either the subgrade planer or the subgrade tester whencompelled to widen when the wheels of the unit follow the top flanges ofa road form through varying widths of pattern.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a deviceof the character described having a minimum of parts but of substantialweight in order to impose the striking force necessary to remove theearth when the subgrade planer unit is applied to the beam construction.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a top and bottomroller assembly in which the rollers are carried by one beam upon andbeneath the other beam and in which construction a tie member isprovided whereby the two beams may not be slid out of operatingengagement either transversely or longitudinally.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended hereto.

In the drawings, wherein like symbols refer to like or correspondingparts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a front elevational view of a self widening subgrade testerconstructed in accordance with the present invention with parts brokenaway.

Figure 2 is a side elevational view taken from the right hand end ofFigure 1 with the road form removed.

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 33 in Figure 2 at anenlarged scale with parts broken away and parts shown in section.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a self widening subgrade testerconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a self widening subgrade planerconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the form of invention shown inFigure 5 taken from the right hand end of Figure 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings and for the moment to theform of invention illustrated in Figures 1 through 4 inclusive, 10 and11 designate a pair of horizontally spaced apart road forms having topguide rails 12 and 13 respectively. A subgrade 14 is to be definedbetween the two lines of upstanding road forms 10 and 11. The top guiderails 12 and 13 receive and support flanged wheels 15 and 16 which arerotatably journaled on axles 17 and 18 in wheel carriages 19 and 20.

Extending inwardly toward the center line of the subgrade are two beamswhich, in the form of the invention illustrated, are of channelconstruction and are designated as 21 and 22. These beams 21 and 22 aretied to the wheel carriages 19 and Zil by plates 23 and 24 which arebolted or otherwise secured thereto.

The beam 22 is provided proximate its free end with a pair of upstandingflanges 25 and 26 which support and anchor axles or spindles 27, 28 forreceiving and rotatably journaling rollers 29 and 30. While the flanges25 and 26 act as a stop or abutment to restrain move ment of the rollers29 and 30 in one direction a roller tie means is provided at the otherend and consists of a pair of yoke members 31, 32 which are joined ortensioned by a threaded shaft 33, as best seen in Figure 3. Thisconstruction thereby assures against the two beams becoming dislocatedor disengaged since the identical construction is carried by the beammember 21 proximate its free end.

Each beam 21, 22 carries an implement support member 34 having a topflange 35 and a bottom flange 36. The two flanges 35 and 36 haveopenings 37 therethrough to receive subgrade test stakes 38. In the formof the invention shown in Figures 1 through 4 inclusive, the bottomflange 36 has a plurality of upstanding lugs 39 receiving threaded bolts44 for locking the stakes 38 in place in accordance with thepredetermined cross section of the grade. The bolt 40- pushing the stake38 against the openings 37 will maintain the desired subgrade crosssection to be tested. 7

The beam 21 is provided with an identical test stake retainingconstruction to that described above.

The self widening roller assembly of the beam 21 is identical to that ofbeam 22, having upstanding flanges 25 26 for anchoring one end ofspindles '27, 28 over which pass and rotate the rollers 29 and 30.

Referring to Figure 3, each yoke member 31 and 32 and has a threadedbase member 32 for threadedly receiving the shaft 33 against which locknuts 33* bear.

In operation the lines of forms 10 and 11 are staked and the subgrade isplaned or cut. When it is desired to determine whether the subgradecross section is accurate the tester is employed. The device is placedupon the road forms with the wheels 15, 16 riding upon the top flanges12 and 13 of the road forms 10 and 11. The bolts 40 are loosened and thetest stakes are set in accordance with the cross section specificationto which the subgrade has been cut and the unit is pulled by a tractoror other machine over the subgrade, the rollers 29, 30 permitting theunit to widen and contract as dictated by the flanges of the wheelsfollowing the road form top flanges. If scribe marks appear in thesubgrade then an additional cut of the grade over the area of the scribemay be required.

Referring to Figures 5 and 6 a construction of wheel carriage and beamsare shown in which the same reference numerals appear. The difference inthis structure is that the unit is a subgrade planer and is employed tocut or plane a subgrade after the forms have been staked. Stand oifs 41are carried by beam 22 while stand oifs 41, 42 are subgrade strike oifplates or blades 38 The blades 38* consist of a plurality of transversesections having slots 43 therein to permit the blades 38 to be arrangedfor a crown cross section if desired.

Tow lugs 44 are mounted on the leading faces of the blades and tow lugs45 are upstruck from the wheel carriages 19 and 20 to permit attachmentof a tow cable (not shown) to a tractor for pulling the device along theroad forms and causing the blades 38 to shave off the dirt or earthabove the desired grade. This unit being constructed like the unit shownin Figures 1 through 4 is also self widening.

The devices of the present invention are employed to greatest advantageupon road construction where varying widths of subgrade are employedsuch as when approaching an intersection, a clover leaf or other highwaycon struction where a 12 foot wide subgrade is flared into a 15 footwide subgrade and then back to a 12 foot Width. Heretofore this was atime consuming matter which retarded the progress of construction whileinserts were added or taken from the beam members to span the width ofthe grade between road forms. The devices of the instant invention areinstantaneous and automatic self cornpensating for varying widths ofroad subgrade as indicated by the lines of staked forms. No steeringmechanism is required.

Although I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known tome at this time, I reserve the right to all such modifications andchanges as may come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. For use with horizontally spaced apart staked road forms, a selfwidening subgrade device comprising a pair of beam members the sum ofthe lengths of which exceeds the widest horizontal space between roadforms with which the device is used, said beams being placed one infront of the other in overlapping relationship and free at all times tohave relative longitudinal movement, wheeled carriages secured to theform end of said beam members adapted to ride upon the top flange of theroad form, roller tie means mounted proximate the free end of each beammember to slidingly support the other beam member to permit saidrelative sliding movement at all times between the beams as compelled bythe carriages following the top flanges of the road forms incident tovarying widths between road forms, and subgrade earth working meanscarried by each beam member, said roller tie means comprising flangesupstanding and depending from said beam, a shaft extending substantiallyhorizontally from said flanges, flanged rollers rotatably journaled onsaid shafts and adapted to ride upon and support the beam which theyembrace, and adjustable tensioning means between an upper and lowershaft to maintain the rollers in contact with the beams and to retainsaid rollers on said shaft.

2. For use with horizontally spaced apart staked road forms, a selfwidening subgrade device comprising a pair of beam members the sum ofthe lengths of which exceeds the widest horizontal space between roadforms with which the device is used, said beams being placed one infront of the other in overlapping relationship, Wheeled carriages on theform end of said beam members adapted to ride upon the top flange of theroad form, means mounted proximate the free end of each beam member toslidingly support the other beam member to permit automatic relativesliding movement at all times between the beams as compelled by thecarriages following the top flanges of the road forms incident tovarying widths between road forms, each said means comprising a pair ofdouble flanged wheel assembly engaging said other beam member, and meansengaging said wheel assembly for retaining said wheels in engagementwith said other beam member.

3. A self widening subgrade device as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidearth working means comprises a support secured to the leading face ofone beam and the trailing face of the other and having a plurality ofretaining devices thereon, and subgrade strike off blades carried bysaid supports and retained in position by said retaining devices.

4. A self widening subgrade device as claimed in claim 3 wherein thesubgrade strike off blades of both said beam members are coextensivewith the beam whereby to cut a predetermined subgrade cross section forall widths of subgrade within the physical limits of the device.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,740,345 Heltzel Dec. 17, 1929 1,768,663 Carr July 1, 1930 1,956,680Heltzel May 1, 1934 2,080,461 Cope May 18, 1937

